This is James Bradberry

James Bradberry is somewhere he’s not used to. A bright, bold smile flashes but it is fleeting. His body is in unfamiliar surroundings despite the choice of headwear. 

Bradberry’s physical location is foreign and so is the experience he’s undertaking. One would figure a New York Giants corner – a Pro Bowler no less – would relish in the warm embrace of celebrity. Though, Bradberry is no ordinary player, nor is he the archetypal human. He resists the allure of spotlight, money and further fame in exchange for being true to himself. 

That’s why he is initially matter-of-fact. Pleasant, respectful and enlightening, but as Bradberry later admits – outside his comfort zone. In true icebreaker fashion we discuss the weather, hoping to fan the flames of fluidity. The 28-year-old and his beanie lie thousands of miles from wintery New York. At this moment, he’s resting in his Arizona hotel room – where the Giants based themselves prior to their eventual 37-21 loss vs. the Chargers in Week 13.

Bradberry is pleased to be in warmer weather and even more thrilled to be outside of California. He’s thankful for practicing at the University of Arizona all week rather than somewhere in L.A. It’s not that Bradberry holds a candle for U of A. No, he’s just happy to have more money in his pocket thanks to Arizona’s comparably lenient taxes. Bradberry’s game check will be taxed in California but he’s still cheerful, grateful to avoid a ‘double dose.’ Though it’s not all James Bradberry is thankful for. 

It’s said it takes a village to raise a man. In the case of Bradberry it took one – not a village but a single parent; his mother Rosie. Bradberry grew up in Pleasant Grove, Alabama – a city of less than 10,000 – without a father. His childhood didn’t feel different, there was no feeling of a void. Of course, there’s an element of single-parenthood being Bradberry’s norm but he kept himself busy. He would attend the local boys and girls club alongside playing football and basketball. Despite the chaos of sporting schedules, Saturdays were always booked out. A reservation for four was perpetually made; for Bradberry, his mother, sister and grandmother. 

“My whole life it used to be me, my mom, my sister and my grandma. No matter where we were at,” Bradberry told Patrick Djordjevic. Bradberry’s grandmother has since passed but his family still remain in The Good Neighbor City, so too a part of Bradberry himself. 

“That’s home for me, that’s where my heart is. I care for the city, I care for the people around there. I know their lifestyle, how they go through life, some of the struggles they may go through and of course some of the positive things they go through as well.”

The 28-year-old returns to Pleasant Grove each offseason, shunning the bright lights of New York and California – where many Pro Bowlers collaborate on Instagram and the gridiron. Instead, Bradberry works on his body while heavily investing in his community. Annual back-to-school giveaways, donations to his church and earthquake relief funding are all good deeds done by Bradberry. Yet there isn’t much noise about the acts or the man responsible for them. There’s a purity in Bradberry's desire to give back without fanfare, for that is who he is. 

For eight months of the year, New York is where Bradberry’s body and mind reside. While his heart may stay in Alabama, his philanthropic nature crosses borders. Bradberry was intentional with the Christmas gifts he gave to fellow defensive backs including Xavier McKinney, Logan Ryan and Jabril Peppers. It wasn’t a flashy gadget or a status symbol, rather something practical and purposeful. Bradberry organized ChilliSleep sleep systems for his guys, allowing them to sleep at their ideal temperature, ensuring they sleep faster and wake up fresher. 

It’s that same attention-to-detail and thoughtfulness which makes Bradberry the elite cornerback he is today. In isolation, his actions may seem obvious – take warming up his body inside pre-practice amidst the New Jersey winter as an example. Well duh some may say. Yet not every player does it. What exactly makes James Bradberry great?

“I just manage my time correctly.” That was it. No elaborate response, no secret sauce. Just a continuum of doing the right things at the right time, sticking to routine and maintaining discipline. It’s a way of life without sizzle but one in which delivers results. The approach itself is a microcosm for how Bradberry operates. 

“I go out there and practice hard, I prepare – that’s what gives me my confidence once I get to Sunday. It’s not what I’m going to say – I can go out there and say ‘I’m the best guy’ but you can still go out there and get toasted. Words don’t mean anything, it’s all about your actions. 

“I could probably get more marketing, more money but that ain’t me for real. You gotta be yourself. I also put myself out here more, that’s why I'm here talking with you my friend.”

There is a real warmth to Bradberry, a genuine nature bereft of ego – not readily seen in athletes of his stature. Though don’t be mistaken, he cares deeply for football and being great at his craft. He just won’t get drawn into bold proclamations about his standing within the league or among his fellow corners.

“I think you have to have the mindset that no one can beat you. I mean, I play corner but I’ve never been against another corner, I’m always going against receivers. So, I don’t really try to promote myself as being the best in the game. Everybody else is going to talk about it if that’s what it is. I just try to build the mindset of `This guy across from me can’t beat me.’

Bradberry has been beaten at times throughout his career, including this season, which he described as “up and down.” Defeat and subsequent criticisms are inevitable but how one responds to adversity goes a long way to determining who they are. After 40 minutes with Bradberry, he seems richer in character than in pocket. That’s notwithstanding the 3-year, $43.5 million contract he signed back in March 2020.

“When people say I’m not doing something right, you know of course that will affect my emotions and I might not feel well about that. I think for me I try to channel that energy and just try to attack getting better. The sun is going to rise, so you gotta keep going. Once you fail, you fail, so you might as well try and learn from it and work harder. Whatever you did didn’t work, so you gotta figure something else out.

It’s rather evident Bradberry is a man of poise on and off the gridiron, thoughtfulness is one of his foremost qualities. Clearly, he often thinks of others, but he also allows his mind to wander to other worlds, quite literally. Aliens and outer space have always interested the Samford alum. Despite outgrowing his fascination with extraterrestrials, Bradberry is keen to venture further into space, both in thought and action. Just not as quickly as Giants legend and Ring of Honor member Michael Strahan, who flew into space earlier this month.  

“I wouldn’t be the first! I wouldn’t be in that early bunch. I’d probably be later on once we’ve had a few successful missions out there.”

As for where Bradberry would go, well, the choice was easy. ”Man, I’m trying to go to Pluto. That’s the goal man, to go to Pluto. That’s the furthest out there so of course, whatever’s out there it’s going to be the last to be touched. Whatever’s out there can probably withstand anything because it’s far out there!”

For now Bradberry is more than content with life on earth. His world was immeasurably enriched the moment daughter Xena Reign came into the world on Valentines Day, 2020. The early mornings, moments of pain and discomfort and scrutiny under the spotlight – all are worth it. 

“She kind of changed things for me, she kind of changed the ball game. Now everything is for her. Everything I do. Essentially I become a better person and player and whatever because I do those things, but it affects her. Whatever I do is essentially going to trickle down and affect her. It’s all for her. She’s going to take over once I’m up out of here.”

The Giants’ No.24 isn’t going anywhere in the immediate future, but the same cannot be said for his general manager Dave Gettleman. The almost perpetually embattled Gettleman gave Bradberry his opportunity in the NFL, drafting him in the second round – 64th overall – in the 2016 Draft. Gettleman did the opposite of what most had during Bradberry’s football life. While GM of the Carolina Panthers he took a chance on a talented 22-year-old corner from an FCS school. So often doubted, Bradberry was finally given an opportunity in the big time — which he’s taken with both hands. Though not spoken, it’s apparent Bradberry has great reverence for the Giants’ 70-year-old GM.

“He’s a very resilient guy. Of course [scrolling] my explore page I might see some bad talk about me but I also see stuff they might also say about him. I’m sure he might go out and people talk about him as a GM and whatnot, but I would like to say he’s very resilient. He always comes in, no matter if we’ve lost or maybe I’ve had a bad game, he always comes in and speaks to me. He’s energetic, so I would say that about him. 

“I would say I saw Dave Gettleman in the locker room or around us as players more than I’ve seen other GMs I’ve been under. You don’t really see that.”

Giants fans don’t see it either, but they view the losses stacking up. They feel them too – so does No.24. As for the team’s future, nothing is a given. Though in Bradberry they have a player with an unwavering desire to be his best – for his fans, his team and most importantly, those in sweet home Pleasant Grove, Alabama.

NYG CB James Bradberry Q & A

Q: What does your hometown of Pleasant Grove mean to you?

That’s home for me. That’s where my heart is, that’s where I spent the majority of my childhood and teenage years and some of my adult years. It’s home for me, it will always be home and I’m pretty familiar with the area, because like you said, it’s a small area and I’m familiar with a lot of people from around there. It will always be home for me. I always go back there. My mom is still there, and my sister is there as well. So I always go back. 

Q: Why does he put so much money back into the community?

Because that’s where my heart is. I care for the city, I care for the people around there, I know their lifestyle, how they go through life, some of the struggles they may go through and of course some of the positive things they go through as well. That’s why I put money back into them. 

Q: What is it like playing in NYC for someone who doesn’t like the spotlight? How has that transition been for you?

I think it’s very different because in the south, I feel like people down there, they really enjoy college football more than they enjoy the National Football League. But up north, I feel like they enjoy the NFL more than they enjoy college sports. Of course that’s aside from maybe Ohio State and Michigan. I know New Jersey, ah man, they’re diehard Giants fans, man. They’re going to let you know whenever you’re doing good and also when you’re doing bad. It’s good support up here, we’ve got a strong fan base and it’s a great organization as well, you know. They support us as far as everything from nutrition, health, strength and conditioning programs and also coaches. 

Q: How have you seen your season, so far?

I think this season has been kind of up and down for me. I’ve had a lot of good sports but also some had bad spots. But also, you know, we’re not doing too good as a team, so [when] we’re not doing good as a team, your mistakes are blown up and everyone wants to talk about them when you’re losing. So it’s not going too good right now. 

Q: Do you care when people talk about you negatively?

I think it’s hard to say no, because they’re talking about my craft. I put a lot of time and effort into playing football and being a good cornerback, so when people say I’m not doing something right, you know of course that will affect my emotions and I might not feel well about that. I think for me I try to channel that energy and just try to attack getting better. You know, attack the next day. The sun is going to rise – I watch a lot of YouTube videos, so I hear a lot of inspirational videos and stuff. The sun is going to rise, so you gotta keep going. 

Q: How do you hear about negative comments?

I don’t look up my name on Twitter, so I don’t really see what people say on Twitter unless of course, one of the Giants media says something and it comes across my screen because it was retweeted and what not. Usually, like I said, we have a strong base, it’s also New York City – so along goes with that. The media kind of let you know through their questioning and what not. But like I said, I just channel that energy and try to get better. I prepare a lot, I try to prepare and put myself in good positions. 

Q: Why is your craft so important to you?

I think it means a lot to everyone that plays football, I mean – I’ll just speak for the guys starting out there – we get paid a lot of money to do this, and I’ve also been doing this my whole life. Of course it’s a game, but I’ve been recognized as one of the best in the game and I got to the point because I feel like I worked hard, I prepared, I put a lot of time into it, so when you put a lot of time into anything, of course you care about it and you see it being significant in your life. So that’s why I care about it so much. 

Q: Do you think you’re the best CB in the NFL - do you need to have that mindset?

I think you have to have the mindset that no one can beat you. I mean I play corner but I’ve never been against another corner, I’m always going against receivers. So, I don’t really try to promote myself as being the best in the game. Everybody else is going to talk about it if that’s what it is. I just try to build the mindset of ‘This guy across from me can’t beat me.’ 

Q: How has it been for you adjusting to covering TEs?

Going against big-bodied receivers and tight ends is very similar, but you really have to attack the persona and not the position. Like Mike Evans, he’s a receiver, he’s real fast, he has a huge catch radius, attacks the ball, he’s real physical as well. And then you might play another taller guy but he doesn’t play real physical, he’s more of a finesse guy – he’s real good off the line, runs good routes, so you’ve got to attack that guy differently. It’s the same way with tight ends, not all tight ends are the same. They have different skill sets. 

Q: What are the little things that you make a high-level player?

I think the two most important things are; I prepare – I watch a lot of film – and also I try to take care of my body because I think half the battle man is staying on the field honestly. You see a lot of injuries across the board. Like I said, I put time into it. I don’t think there’s anything really unique about it. I ask a lot of – even when I first got into the league I used to ask a lot of veteran guys what did they do to take care of their body.

I didn’t really see a lot of difference in people’s answers, I think the difference was the amount of time that they did those things. If they did massage, if they did acupuncture, how much during the week did they do it? Or did a guy do it at all during the week? When it came to lifting weights or stretching, did a guy do it during the week? If he did, I’m sure he feels a lot better during game day and he might play better based off things that he did throughout the week. I don’t do anything uniquely, I just do spend a lot of time on things that pertain to football. 

Q: How difficult is losing? 

I just channel that energy and move on to the next play. I think football has kind of built that mindset for me, just over the years. I’ve always played DB my whole life, so I’ve always been taught ‘You need to forget the bad thing that just happened and just move onto the next play because that next play is going to come regardless so you need to move on.’ I would say I just channel that energy to make up for a mistake I had and not make that same mistake again. 

Q: How long does a loss stay with you?

I mean, it depends on how close the game was, if I played well, if I played bad, it just depends. Typically – well I have a daughter now, she helps out a lot. When I come home she’s happy, she wants to play so she kind of helps me forget about the bad stuff which goes on with football from the losing and what not – usually it’s out of my mind by Monday. Of course by Wednesday it’s a new week, we on to the next team so you gotta forget about it. 

Q: What has fatherhood taught you?

It’s taught me a lot of patience. Have patience and I guess what type of Dad I am. I’m pretty relaxed, pretty chill. I try to play games with her, of course she’s really small now – she’s active – but she can’t get too active. In the offseason I bought her a little basketball hoop and we were shooting the basketball and she started taking the ball and throwing it in there, so that was really cool. So just teaching her little things is actually the cool thing about being a Dad, it’s like passing on certain things to her and teaching her. 

Q: Has he passed on his basketball skills to his daughter?

Oooo I hope not! I hope she’s better than me! I would say overall I wasn’t a bad basketball player, I just put more effort toward football and I became kind of a role player in basketball and had better players on my team too that did that stuff 24/7 and they was real good. I’m in the league so I’m good!

Q: What role does faith play in your life?

I would say I think faith kind of goes hand-in-hand with hope. You know it’s definitely bad when a person loses hope, so you never want to lose hope, you always want to keep faith. So I think that’s kind of like the tie between me, church and faith, where I’ve always had connection there. I’ve been going to that church my entire life and they’ve supported me throughout my professional career, and they also supported me when I was a student as well. So I’m just trying to give back to the church that supported me. 

Q: What was it like growing up?

I grew up in a single parent household, it was just me and my sister. We was real close with my grandmother, so my whole life it used to be me, my mom, my sister and my grandma, no matter where we were at; AAU tournaments, college visits, plays, anything – we was going out to eat every Saturday, it was us four. You know my mom, she did her thing. She took care of me and my sister on her own which is – I’ve got my daughter now so I understand, well I don’t understand but I definitely, can definitely see how hard it was to raise two kids on her own. So I definitely commend her and I’m very appreciative of her. 

Q: Was it hard without a father?

Nah, because I played sports a lot. So I was always busy as a kid, so I never really had time to sit back and think about it. Also, I was always at boys and girls club, so I never really had time to sit around and think about it.

Q: How do you deal with failure?

Just work harder. Learn from it. I mean, all you can do is learn from it. Once you fail, you fail, so you might as well try and learn from it and work harder. Whatever you did didn’t work, so you gotta figure something else out. 

Q: What makes James Bradberry great?

I think I just manage my time correctly. Man, what I’ve been doing during the season – I’m a very routine guy. In the offseason when I get off from the team I don’t really do what I’m supposed to do (laughs) but during the season when I’m on a routine, I get up pretty early, I get in there and stretch. So I try and make sure my body is warmed up before I actually go out there and practice. You know it’s cold up there in New York, so you definitely gotta make sure your body is good before you go out there. I also try and make sure I stretch and take care of my body once I come off the field. I also watch film and try and get enough sleep and eat right, so I would say I just try and make good decisions and spend my time correctly. Doing things that’s going to help me get better. 

Q: What is James Bradberry most proud of?

I guess being a good dad for this past year-and-a-half. She kind of changed things for me, she kind of changed the ball game. Now everything is for her. Everything I do. Essentially I become a better person and player and whatever because I do those things, but it affects her. Whatever I do is essentially going to trickle down and affect her. It’s all for her. She goin’ take over once I’m up out of here.

Q: Why is James Bradberry confident?

I go out there and practice hard, I prepare – that’s what gives me my confidence once I get to Sunday. It’s not what I’m going to say, I can go out there and say ‘I’m the best guy’ but you can still go out there and get toasted. Words don’t mean anything, it’s all about your actions. I could probably get more marketing (if he spoke out more), more money but that ain’t me for real. You gotta be yourself. I also put myself out here more, that’s why I’m on here talking with you my friend. 

Q: What’s the best place you’ve traveled and the perspectives you’ve gained?

I’ve been to London with football. I’ve only been overseas one time, to the Bahamas and I was on a resort, so it was kind of Americanized. I guess you just gain more perspective from talking with different people. I think talking to older people – the more I talk to older people, that’s where I want to be when I get to whatever age they’re at. I feel like they give me more of a perspective on life and what I need to be doing. 

I talk to the guys a lot more now versus when I first got into the league. I was real secluded into myself but now I’ve been around for a while, so I kind of – I wouldn’t say I go out of my way – but I definitely try and speak more and have more conversations around the building. 

Q: What would you like to say about Dave Gettleman that isn’t public knowledge?

He’s a very resilient guy. Of course [scrolling] my explore page I might see some bad talk about me but I also see stuff they might also say about him. I’m sure he might go out and people talk about him as a GM and whatnot, but I would like to say he’s very resilient. He always comes in, no matter if we’ve lost or maybe I’ve had a bad game, he always comes in and speaks to me. He’s energetic, so I would say that about him. 

He would just encourage me to pick it up. I would say I saw Dave Gettleman in the locker room or around us as players more than I’ve seen other GMs I’ve been under. You don’t really see that and I think it’s a positive thing that he does. That’s a good thing that he does that.

Q: What are your hopes for the rest of the season?

I just hope we continue to play with effort as a whole. Can’t really make any promises. We've got five games left, but for me I want to play my best five games this year, this last stretch. That’s my goal. 

Q: Is the Pro Bowl something you’ve got on your mind?

If we were winning, it would but my focus now is just going out there and trying to win. If we’re not winning, I’m not going to get the accolades that I want. That’s how I look at it and that’s what I remind myself. My whole goal is to go out there and help us win a game. 

Q: Does outer space still interest?

I’m intrigued by a lot of things now, I’m intrigued by the metaverse, I’m intrigued about outer space, I’m intrigued about countries outside the U.S.

Q: Would you travel to space? 

I wouldn’t be the first! I wouldn’t be in that early bunch. I’d probably be later on once we’ve had a few successful missions out there. Man, I’m trying to go to Pluto, for sure.  That’s the goal man, to go to Pluto.That’s the furthest out there so of course, whatever’s out there it’s going to be the last to be touched. Whatever’s out there can probably withstand anything because it’s far out there! 

Q: Do you hunt or fish?

I like to fish. I wouldn’t say I do it a lot but I definitely want to do it more. None of my friends back home really fish but one of my teammates Court Cunningham, he fishes, so when we go back to Alabama I’m going to fish with him and I’m probably going to hunt with him too, but yeah it is pretty stereotypical that you asked that, but it’s cool though. 

Q: Did going to a small school help you in the long-run?

Coming from a small school, it humbles you a little bit because you’re not playing against the best of the best. But I will say being from a small school – man, those programs at Alabama and Auburn, they’re run a little differently than what it might be at a D1-AA. We don’t have the resources to be able to do what they do. They have a cafeteria, they have all these nice things in the athletic training room and weight room. It definitely humbles you but it also makes you work harder, so you have hope, you have faith, you have something that you’re working towards. You’re always trying to get better, you don’t get complacent, being from a small school I feel like you – that’s that chip on your shoulder people always talk about. 

Q: What’s your mindset nowadays - do you carry that chip still?

My mindset now is more like a chess match. It’s like me versus this guy on the other side of the ball. Not only him, but his other teammates. You’ve got a slot receiver, you got a quarterback. It’s a chess match between us. Also the running back – they might have a dynamic running back that I’m going to have to face. It’s a chess match between all these guys out here on this field. It’s a game at the end of the day, so I don’t carry that chip on my shoulder anymore. It’s all energy at the end of the day. You want to make sure you’re transferring that energy in the right way. 

Q: What do you want to achieve moving forward?

I just want to be a good player at the end of the day. No, I mean I want to be the best player that I can be. You know, I feel like I can be elite, so I want to be elite. That’s what I want to do. I try not to think too far down the road to be honest with you. I just try to go week-by-week ‘cause it’s a long season.